Bolivia’s heavy rains cause river to flood homes

BOLIVIA: Heavy rainfall in Bolivia over Saturday night caused the Pasajahuira river to overflow, flooding the neighborhood of Bajo Llojeta on the outskirts of La Paz and leaving many people trapped in their homes awaiting rescue teams.

“There was screaming and terrible desperation,” Bajo Llojeta’s municipal president, Julieta Clavijo, told Reuters.

“A 4-year-old girl is missing and her parents are desperate. People had to leave their houses through the roofs because there was no other way to get out because the mud was already too deep,” Clavijo said.

Civil defense vice minister Juan Carlos Calvimontes confirmed that rescue teams were searching for a young girl.

At least 26 people have been injured and more than 40 houses damaged by the flood, according to local authorities. Some 300 military personnel were deployed to help evacuate residents and clean up the area.